Simplify Your Kitchen Life By Tossing Out These 15 Things
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Simplify Your Kitchen Life by Tossing Out These 15 Things
If you have ever moved from one house or apartment to another, you know and understand the pain of packing up the kitchen: Delicate bowls and glassware are packaged tenderly; you organize all of your prized pans and baking molds into one box, and then spices are lovingly packed to avoid spillage, too. But there is always, inevitably, a section or drawer in your kitchen filled with cool kitchen gadgets designed to make your life "easier." You can dump all of this stuff into a box — because you obviously don't know how to organize it in any way — and admit it: You wouldn't cry if this box fell off the truck, either.
Click here to read "Chefs' 5 Favorite Kitchen Tools Gallery."
A chef's knife is inarguably the most important and versatile tool in a kitchen. There are other tools, gadgets, and utensils, however, that are the exact opposite: unnecessary, redundant, and useless. By definition, "tool" denotes something useful, and we don't think some gadgets have even earned the right to call themselves that.
If you are contemplating if a gadget is useful, ask yourself these essential questions:
1. Do I use it enough for it to take up space in my kitchen?
2. If it disappeared or broke, how much would I care?
3. Can the job be done with a more traditional tool... like a knife?
Here is a list of 15 items you should rid your kitchen of. Simplify your life and donate them to some other poor, unsuspecting fool person.
Pasta Remover
Tongs will work fabulously in this situation; so will a fork.
Toaster Oven
Do you have a toaster? Do you have an oven? A toaster oven is a redundant appliance and doesn't even toast bread well. (Side note: You can also make toast under your kitchen boiler).
Chopping Pocket
The Chopping Pocket makes it possible for you to chop and prep in a snap with a durable plastic cutting board that folds into a pocket for you to store your prepped food in. To this we say: Huh? Use a bowl.
Flat Whisk
Flat whisks make it easier to whisk things in a pot like a roux where it needs to get close to the surface and reach into the rounded corners. But really, could the job be done with a normal whisk? The answer: Yes, yes it could.
Apple Corer
Use a knife, will ya?
Garlic Press
Not one real chef has this tool. Work on your knife skills and don't waste your time trying to de-gunk those little holes.
Splatter Screen
Bulky and unnecessary. Kitchens get dirty, and even with one of those screens, you'll have to clean up after you make, say, bacon.
Anything With an Adjective/Descriptor Like “Automatic,” or Worse: “O-Matic”
Does this need an explanation? Guaranteed you don't use it regularly and it is hiding somewhere gathering dust.
Pie Server
The flat side of your chef's knife can handle that job; just insert it at the base of the pie or cake and lift.
Avocado Knife
There's this cool trick where you cup an avocado half in your non-knife-wielding hand and with your knife, you firmly tap the pit with the sharp edge. Your knife will dig into the pit just enough and give you leverage to pop the core out of the avocado with just a little twist of your hand. Then, using a spoon, enter the avocado at the very bottom edge of the fruit and slowly work to separate the skin from the green flesh. No special tool needed.
Herb Stripper
Your fingers will do just fine.
Cake Leveler
Anyone who's ever baked a cake knows that the beauty and elegance of it comes with patience and precision — which can easy fly out the window when trying to level a cake. But, unless you have to make a bazillion cakes, you probably can't justify the space this takes up in your drawer. Watch this video and just use your knife.
Garlic Peeler
Yes, this gadget is different from a garlic press and is used to remove the paper from the cloves. Instead, place the flat side of your chef's knife over the clove and hit it with the heel of your palm. Voilà, the paper comes right off. Or you could use this nifty trick if you have to peel many cloves.
Pork Shedder Claws
Forks and/or gloved hands work supremely well, too... and you'll look infinitely less ridiculous.